Fall from Race

Prejudice against Nigerians and others of African origin is rising by the day even in five-star India.

Nigerian biotechnology student Kevin Obafemi, 22, got a rude shock when he and his friends were refused entry to Athena, the bar at The Leela Palace in Bangalore, a month ago. "I couldn't believe it; they said the club was closed but I could see all kinds of people entering and we were the only ones who were turned away, probably because we were black and they were completely unapologetic," he says.

Rick Osaze, 46, a visiting teacher from Lagos, in Bangalore for the past three months, is surprised "because people start backing away in fear when four black men walk on the streets. It's not like we are a criminal gang. I've noticed this in both Chennai and Bangalore. It's like Apartheid all over again".

Last year, at the Indian Premier League (IPL), two dark-skinned cheerleaders from Kings XI Punjab were sent home because "Indians preferred white-skinned cheerleaders". Obafemi insists that "India is definitely more racist than Australia". In the past month, Bangalore has gone from "cosmopolitan city" to "racist city with a bias against dark skin", thanks to a sting by a local daily that exposed how city bars and pubs refuse entry to dark-skinned people. Authorities insist they don't care about skin colour but want to play safe and avoid trouble.

"We have no problem with darkskinned people, it's just that there has been so much trouble with Nigerians in recent times that we want to play it safe," says owner of a city pub where an 'encounter' between a group of Nigerian guests and the bar staff led to a fight and destruction of property worth Rs 3 lakh. Osaze wonders if a similar incident with a white American would result in bars banning whiteskinned people.

Earlier this month, a simple fight in acity college between Rishi Murthy, 18, a local student, and a Nigerian (and his friends) left Murthy with two broken ribs and a fractured kneecap. "They are so bloody aggressive no one wants to mess with them," says Murthy's classmate Sunder Rao. Stray incidents have led to a widespread prejudice that runs from Bangalore to Delhi, making more and more people wary about interacting or even socialising with people from African countries. This has as much to do with prejudice as with the daily reports about blacks (especially Nigerians) being accused of crimes ranging from cyber fraud to homicide, besides numerous cases of cheating and drug-related incidents.

Such is the extent of prejudice that Pakistanis as "bad guys" have been replaced by Nigerians and other blacks even in Bollywood. In Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum, an inspector tells Abhishek Bachchan's character that the Nigerian cartel controls a certain part of Goa. In Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey, in the climax there is a gang of blacks. In the just-released Shaitan, Mumbai policemen stumble upon a Kenyan drug and kidnapping racket and are mercilessly gunned down.

It is estimated that there are more than 2,500 Nigerians living in Delhi and 3,000 in Bangalore, with another 4,000 spread across the rest of the country. Neither the police nor the Nigerian High Commission has details of the number of Nigerians currently residing in India. "They come and go as they please," says the police officer from Bangalore. But the police are cautious about admitting to racial bias.

"Some may be involved in criminal activity, but the entire group cannot be mistreated because of this. Discrimination under race, religion or caste is an offence under IPC," says Additional Commissioner of Police Sunil Kumar in Bangalore. In Delhi, more than half the Nigerian population is suspected to have stayed on after their visas expired.

Fifty Nigerians have been arrested in the past year for overstaying. The tendency to get on the wrong side of the law has given rise to a specific term 'Nigerian OC' where the 'OC' stands for 'organised crime'. Presently there are more than 100 Nigerians lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, most of whom have been arrested for peddling drugs, or in cases related to cheating, cyber and lottery-related crimes and even homicide. Kingsley Izuchukwa, 34, a former national-level football player in Nigeria, was arrested with 25 grams of cocaine by the Delhi Police this year. Izuchukwa confessed that he had got sucked into peddling by the prospect of easy money.

The blacks blame the way newspapers report crimes for the bias. "When you have news like this in the papers every day, there is no hope that the locals will respect us," says Obafemi. "Yes there are gangs and crimes, but that's no excuse for the racist behaviour we encounter," says his friend Eko Odataje. "We're not welcome in shops, bars and restaurants. It's impossible to rent a house if you are a Nigerian." That there is a Nigerian crime syndicate is something that cannot be denied, with operations extending from email and SMS fraud to drug peddling.

Arun Kampani, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Delhi, says drugs brought in from neighbouring countries are sold by a syndicate run by Nigerians based in Delhi, with a network across the country. "They have links with party organisers and night clubs. The drug suppliers cater to high society clients and these drugs are consumed at select parties at private places and bars," Kampani explains. 'Naija born' used to be a statement of pride. No more, says Obafemi. "Today, I'm scared to say I'm from Nigeria. I pretend that I'm from South Africa or Sudan."